


Lyf Joins the Cuddle Pile and Finally Obtains Rights

by CertifiedPissWizard



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Cuddling, Getting Together, Multi, anyways were yearning during this quarantine, can you taste the yearning, pure unabashed fluff, so much cuddling thats actually the premise of the fic, this is just softness and nothing but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23432599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CertifiedPissWizard/pseuds/CertifiedPissWizard
Summary: Three times Lyf joins the cuddle pile and gets some of those sweet sweet rights.
Relationships: Lyfrassir Edda/Everyone, polymechs
Comments: 7
Kudos: 151
Collections: Mechs Fic Exchange





	Lyf Joins the Cuddle Pile and Finally Obtains Rights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [octovoid128](https://archiveofourown.org/users/octovoid128/gifts).



“You get rights when you join the cuddle pile, Inspector Lyf.” Lyf stands outside the cell and takes turns glowering at each of the Mechs. They don’t even bother to explain all the many reasons why they can’t actually do that. They also do their best to ignore the fact that it’s nighttime and they forgot their keycard, so they’re stuck in the room the Mech’s cell is in until morning. It’s truly a dreadful thing that they’re having to deal with, not that they’d say it aloud. “Come on now, Inspector. Ivy says that given New Midgardian cultural standards there’s a 97% chance you’re touch starved. It’ll be good for your health.” Von Raum is waggling his eyebrows at Lyf. There’s only one appropriate response to this, and they proceed to engage in that appropriate response. They roll their eyes, look away, and sit down. They just have to wait for morning. It’ll be fine, and they won’t do anything else that could get them reamed out by their boss. It’s fine. It’s going to be fine. Von Raum is pulling out a violin. They just know it. They feel it in their bones.

They hear the sound of violins behind them. “Seems like it would be tricky to play the violin while you’re in a cuddle pile, von Raum. Maybe you could try putting it up.”

“Maybe you could try joining the cuddle pile.” Lyf will definitely not infodump about all the reasons that they really can’t do that. They won’t. They have self control. They will not mention rules and regulations and potential power imbalances and getting reamed out by their boss. They have self control which means that they definitely will not do that. They won’t. “Come on now, Inspector Lyf. You won’t be able to get out until morning, so you might as well make yourself comfortable. Besides.” Von Raum actually sounds like he’s putting thought into what he’s going to say next to try and convince Lyf to join the cuddle pile. “We’ll not kill anyone next time we escape if you join the cuddle pile.” Shit. A good offer, all things considered. After all, the past twelve escapes resulted in mass killings of people in the Transport Police. It would be nice to not be surrounded by people fresh out of the academy.

“Next five escapes and you can’t do them all over the course of a week to get out of it.” They’re an expert negotiator. Truly.

“If you promise to join the cuddle pile again in the future.” This is the weirdest haggling Lyf has done in their life.

“Fine, but future cuddling sessions will involve more negotiating re:murders.”

“Fair enough, Inspector Lyf.” Von Raum sounds pleased, and Alexandria whispers to von Raum that there was only about a 12% chance of that working. Von Raum makes a surprised sound, and Lyf stretches and goes to join the cuddle pile. It’s awkward, and there’s a lot of shuffling around. Then Lyf is in the middle of the cuddle pile, and it’s warm, and there’s pressure, and they can actually feel themself relaxing which is ridiculous because why would they relax just because they’re touching people. It’s ridiculous. It’s also nice, which is something that they very much planning on ignoring. “So. How are you enjoying actually engaging in human contact, Inspector?”

“Die in a fire, von Raum.” The venom that they mean to infuse their voice with is, sadly, not present in it at all. It’s, apparently, incredibly challenging to hurl a great deal of venom at someone when you’re spooning them with a wing wrapped aroung you and someone spooning you as well. Truly, this is the worst discovery of Lyf’s life.

“The probability of that is quite low.” Alexandria just thinks she’s so funny, which she is. That’s beside the point, though. She yawns, and like a chain reaction the yawn spreads. “Your tension levels appear to be dropping, Inspector.” They’ll show her- a hand is in their hair. It’s combing through it, which honestly feels very nice, and they end up relaxing some into von Raum, unfortunately.

“Naptime, everybody,” la Cognizi declares, and it’s totally because they’re tired and no other reason like touch starvation or being comfortable or anything else that makes them think it’s a good idea. For the first time in a while they sleep without rainbow stained dreams.

* * *

They really aren’t doing okay after escaping the Yggdrasil system. They aren’t sure how they’re supposed to be okay when it’s all just gone. There’s just them carrying all of the culture with them, and they’re only a repository of a little of it. The prisoners probably have some of the knowledge of why things are-were the way they were, but it’s not the same for them. It doesn’t have the same weight, and Lyf has never felt so alone. Yes, part of it is probably because they’re alone in a small ship drifting through the vast emptiness of space, but that’s beside the point. The point is that they’re alone. They’re just all alone, and haven’t been able to afford fuel for the engines in a while, meaning that they’re just drifting aimlessly onwards. It aches, being alone like this. It’s been around a year that they’ve been alone on this stupid ship, trying to keep to a calendar, celebrating holidays all alone because it has to matter, has to mean something, can’t be forgotten.

Of course, they haven’t even been doing a good job keeping up with the calendar. They keep disociating, losing days and weeks out in the mindnumbing emptiness and grief and lonliness. Their brain keeps doing weird things, too, jumping at shadows. They can’t stay focussed, either. Then they see the ship through one of the view screens, the same ship in the footage of when they captured the prisoners, some of the space pirates that kept causing problems. They can’t help but remember that one of the side effects of continued isolation can be hallucinations. They also can’t help but hope that they’re right and it’s really there.

It starts pulling their ship in, which means that it is real.

They open the door, and there’s von Raum staring at them with a big smile. They really have to be brain damaged because there’s no other reason why they would be so excited to see him. “Inspector Lyf. How are you doing this fine space day?” They roll their eyes.

“Better now that I’m not floating alone in the endless void.” That doesn’t make them sound sad or depressed or like they really want to be held because all the being bullied into prison cuddle piles spoiled them. Nothing sounds weird or off about that statement, and von Raum doesn't look vaguely concerned. Definitely. Lyf is also not in denial about most things in their life right now after having been lost in the cosmos lonely.

“Welcome aboard the Aurora, Inspector.” He sweeps over and picks up Lyf which is blatantly unfair, not that they say that. Of course they don’t say that because it would be stupid to say. They also don’t tell him to put them down solely because of the fact that they aren't sure he would instead of it being that it’s nice actually having someone there and holding them even if it is a smug asshole violinist. They also definitely don’t lean into him a little bit, because why would they yes he’s warm and they got terribly used to being actually touched by people and then were cruelly deprived of physical affection for a year but still they totally don’t. “Cuddly, aren’t we?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” they say into the crook between his neck and shoulders. The fucker starts laughing, and they can feel it in his chest. It feels nice and they despise it with a burning passion. They do their best to relish the sensation and do their best to refuse to be embarrassed about it, and they succeed for about ten minutes. They lose the fight against it after those ten minutes, and then they get dumped onto a pile of pillows where la Cognizi and Alexandria are there looking at them. It’s horrible. They’re being perceived, and nobody is actually saying anything, just rearranging themselves. Lyf finds themself surrounded and crushed by their ex-prisoners, and it’s warm and nice. They wiggle themself into a slightly more comfortable spot in the pillows and find themself letting out an involunatry hum. They hear von Raum let out another huff.

“They really missed us, didn’t they, Marius?” La Cognizi used to be tolerable, they swe- she’s running a hand through their hair. She’s tolerable again. “It’s alright, Inspector Lyf. You’re back to being blackmailed into cuddle piles, don’t worry.” They would let out an annoyed hiss but they are warm and comfortable and tired and can’t get their brain to focus too much onto her words right then.

* * *

A list of facts: Lyf has been on the Aurora for eight months, they get bullied into cuddling with Raphaella, Ivy, Marius, or any of the other Mechs at least once a week, all the Mechs appear to be in an incredibly complicated polycule, they are in love with most of the Mechs. There is probably something that they are capable of doing with this information, but honestly they aren’t sure what. They suppose that they could try talking about their feelings. They could also not act emotionally mature like four of the people on the ship, and instead channel their inner Jonny, Tim, Ivy, Brian, and Raphaella by choosing to avoid the topic while passively inviting people to ask what’s going on. They spend a minute, really think about it. It is, after all, an incredibly important question.

They leave their room and decide to tell nobody about this at all, ever, so long as they are immortal because of weird eldritch crap. This is the healthiest response to this situation that anybody could possibly have, and Nastya is in the kitchen and stares at them. How did they forget Nastya’s ability to sniff out when people are repressing their emotions? They’ve seen it in action before. How could they have forgotten?

They don’t even make it halfway to the door before she asks, “Do you have something you need to talk about, Lyf?” They run out of the room, because they keep their promises to themself. They end up finally stopping on the bridge.

“Something wrong?” Yes. Lyf has a crush on Brian who they’re now talking to.

“Nastya. How does she always know when people are repressing their emotions?” Brian shrugs. They sit down next to Brian, both of them leaning up against the console, staring out at the stars. It’s quiet, and peaceful, and that’s around the time that other people start showing up because of course. This is Nastya’s fault. Lyf can feel it in their weird rainbow glowy bones. Their eldritch powers called, and they’re saying that Nastya is totally behind this. Over the course of mere seconds they proceed to get crushed by the Mechs, and then Brian kisses them on the cheek.

“She’s not the only one who realized you liked all of us.” Lyf is dying they’re dying their soul is leaving their- Ashes kisses them on the lips gently and their brain restarts completely.

“Oh.”

There’s a lot of talking and awkwardness and warmth, and Lyf feels happy and safe and loved. It's nice. It's just really nice. They’ll never tell Marius in a million years but they think he might have been right when he told them that they’d get rights if they joined the cuddle pile because they’ve got the right to kiss a group of stupidly pretty people now. And feel loved. And sleep well at night. And just a lot of things.

They really feel safe under the weight of all that love, or maybe it’s just Brian acting like a weighted blanket again. That’s beside the point, though. The point is that they’re happy and warm and as safe as one can be when cuddling with Jonny.


End file.
